Evie Smith

Evie Smith

YEAR OF CALL 2022

Education

BPC LLM (Distinction), The University of Law (2020 – 2021)
LLB, University College London (with a year abroad at the National University of Singapore) (2016 – 2020)

Appointments

CPS Panel Advocate Level 2

Memberships

South Eastern Circuit
The Honourable Society of Inner Temple
The Criminal Bar Association
Women in Criminal Law

Scholarships & Prizes

The Kalisher Trust Essay Competition – Second Place (2024)
Ede & Ravenscroft Pupillage Prize, Inner Temple (2023)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Entrance Award, Inner Temple (2020)
Elfreda Edwards Scholarship, Inner Temple (2020)
Exhibition Award, Inner Temple (2020)
UCL Old Square Chambers Prize for Employment Law (highest ranked in the cohort) (2020)

Overview

Evie is regularly instructed to defend and prosecute in cases involving serious offences. These have included serious violent offences such as causing grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation and group acts of violence. Weapons offences, including bomb hoax. Fraud and dishonesty offences, including robbery and burglaries. Domestic violence offences such as harassment, stalking, and coercive and controlling behaviour. Drugs offences of supply and possession of Class A and B drugs.

She frequently appears in the Crown, Youth and Magistrates’ Courts. She has completed specialist training in representing children and young people, and prioritises client care and wellbeing.

Evie has a particular interest in representing vulnerable clients. Prior to joining Chambers, she managed Intervene Project, a charity providing free legal assistance to prisoners suffering from abuse and neglect. She managed a caseload of over 200 clients and secured many positive outcomes including improved living conditions, rehabilitative opportunities and compensation. Under her management, the charity was shortlisted for the LexisNexis Pro Bono Legal Award 2022. Evie has raised awareness of the current prison crisis through podcasts and published articles.

Notable Cases

Trials

R v H – Evie made a successful submission of no case to answer when representing H, who was charged with a domestic assault involving a knife. Evie successfully opposed the admissibility of multiple statements and text messages that were uncorroborated and contradicted hearsay. Evie made a successful submission of no case to answer at the close of the Crown’s case, and it was found that no reasonable jury, properly directed, could convict on the evidence.

R v W – Following a five-day trial at Harrow Crown Court, Evie secured an acquittal for her client, raising self-defence, who was accused of assaulting a police officer. The trial involved multiple legal arguments regarding the circumstances in which self-defence is available as a defence against police officers acting within their function as emergency workers, and Recorder R Johal found with her.

R v R – Evie secured an acquittal for her client after trial, who was accused of harassment. The Crown failed to prove that there was a course of conduct, that it amounted to harassment, and that R knew or ought to have known that her behaviour amounted to harassment.

R v M – Evie secured a conviction after trial when prosecuting a case of an assault by beating of a police officer acting within his function as an emergency worker. Evie thoroughly cross-examined M, proving that he had intentionally kicked the officer.

Sentence

R v L – Evie successfully argued that there were exceptional circumstances arising in her client’s case, preventing the imposition of the mandatory minimum term of three years’ imprisonment for a ‘third strike’ domestic burglary. Multiple ‘third strike’ sentences had previously been imposed on L.

R v D – Evie secured a suspended sentence for her client, who had pleaded guilty to multiple thefts, assaults, and making threats with a bladed article. She persuaded HHJ D Tomlinson that D had taken considerable steps towards drug rehabilitation, and that the best course to ensure continual recovery was not a custodial sentence.

R v B – Evie successfully secured a suspended sentence for her client, who had pleaded guilty to affray, multiple assaults and ABH, threats to damage property and criminal damage. HHJ M Weekes noted that she had advocated with “some skill,” persuading him that B had a fairer opportunity to address his alcohol dependence in the community.

R v M – Evie successfully opposed the imposition of a Football Banning Order for her 18-year-old client, a lifelong football fan, who had pleaded guilty to possession of class A drugs at a football ground. Evie argued that there were circumstances making it unjust in all the circumstances to impose the Order. M received a conditional discharge for the offence.